Just as Xiao Yuan had guessed, the visitors to the Xiao Clan that day had indeed come from the Misty Cloud Sect.
And they were the same old trio as ever—
The Misty Cloud Sect's steward, Ge Ye, an elder dressed in a moon-white robe and a Seven-Star Great Dou Master;
A young man of about twenty with the cultivation of a Five-Star Dou Zhe, his hair held by a white jade crown, whose name was unknown.
Perhaps because Xiao Yuan's performance in yesterday's test had shocked everyone so deeply, when the young man visited today, the Xiao Clan's juniors weren't as overly fixated on him as they had been in the original story.
After all, in terms of looks alone, Xiao Yuan was much more handsome.
As for cultivation, there was no comparison between a Seven-Star Dou Zhe and a Nine-Star Dou Shi.
So they paid more attention to the young girl seated beside the elder.
She had a noble air and striking looks.
Her moon-white robe clung to her curvaceous figure, tracing out a graceful silhouette.
She must be Nalan Yanran, right? Tsk, tsk, she's pretty much as the original story described. She really is beautiful—not even Xiao Mei can compare. I guess the only one here who can outshine her is Xun'er.
In the Xiao Clan's reception hall, Xiao Yuan sat at the end of the row, casually studying the girl across from him.
Xun'er sat to his left, quietly turning the pages of a thick old book, still as elegant and composed as ever.
Only her lovely, fair cheeks were touched with a faint blush. Who knew what was going through that little head of hers?
Xiao Yan sat on his right.
Before the elders could give him a hard time, Xiao Yuan had already picked out his seat and had Xiao Yan sit there.
He was simply sitting a little closer to Xun'er, as if afraid Xiao Yan might pounce on him.
But then—
The instant his inner voice fell silent,
the girl across from him suddenly turned her head.
"Who? Who said that?!"
Nalan Yanran looked around in confusion.
All she saw were puzzled faces.
No one knew what had suddenly come over the seemingly noble young lady. Even Xiao Zhan, who had been speaking with Ge Ye, stopped mid-sentence and asked, bewildered:
"This young lady..."
"Ahem. Clan Leader Xiao, as it happens, I have something to ask you."
Ge Ye gave a sudden cough and stood up.
He had no idea what had suddenly gotten into Nalan Yanran, but he spoke up to smooth things over.
"Heh heh, Mr. Ge Ye, please ask. If I know the answer, I'll tell you everything."
"Very well. Clan Leader Xiao, do you still recognize her?" Ge Ye asked with a faint smile, gesturing toward Yanran beside him.
"Uh... Forgive my poor eyes, but this young lady..."
Xiao Zhan looked her over, then shook his head.
"...Her name is Nalan Yanran."
"Nalan Yanran? Elder Nalan's granddaughter, Nalan Yanran?"
Xiao Zhan paused, then broke into a warm smile. "So you're my niece, Yanran. It's been many years since Uncle Xiao last saw you. Don't blame your uncle for failing to recognize you."
"Uncle Xiao, I've never come to pay my respects. If anyone should apologize, it's me. How could I blame you for not recognizing me?"
Nalan Yanran smiled sweetly at Xiao Zhan.
Only there was something distracted about her smile.
She kept glancing around out of the corner of her eye, hoping to find the person who had just spoken.
But she found nothing.
Had she imagined it?
But she had clearly heard someone say her name, and mention a girl called Xiao Mei, saying she wasn't as pretty as someone called Xun'er...
Suddenly, Nalan Yanran noticed Xiao Xun'er sitting in the corner.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps around the doors and windows, falling right on the girl.
From afar, she looked like a purple lotus blooming in the mundane world, pure and lovely, untouched by dust.
She had to admit, the sight left her a little stunned.
More importantly, at that moment, their eyes met briefly.
A trace of surprise and hesitation showed in Xun'er's limpid, autumn-water eyes.
Could this Nalan Yanran hear Brother Xiao Yuan's inner voice, too?
From the strange things the other girl had just done, Xun'er could be sure of it!
Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran wondered if the owner of that voice was this beautiful girl.
But she immediately dismissed the thought.
That voice had clearly belonged to a boy.
For a moment, the two girls had different thoughts, then looked away.
At the same time, the next instant, the inner voice sounded again.
What's gotten into Nalan Yanran? The only ones talking are Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye. Does she think they're being too loud?
Heh. With Nalan Yanran's brainless, crazy-woman personality, that's not impossible.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been dumb enough to bring a pretty boy and her sect's steward to break off her engagement. What kind of weird fiction is this?
She's treating the Xiao Clan's dignity like a rag, grinding it into the dirt!
Come to think of it, maybe breaking off the engagement is a good thing. Poor Xiao Yan... No, Hun Tiandi's the one who's really pitiful, isn't he?
If Hun Tiandi knew his thousand-year plan had failed because of this little engagement dispute with the Xiao Clan, would he rush over and officiate the wedding for these two?
And maybe crush the Misty Cloud Sect like a firework for good measure?
As the inner voice fell silent, Xiao Yuan was already buried beneath a flood of dinging notification sounds.
He didn't know what was up today, but the drop rate seemed incredibly high. He'd received a mountain of stuff and didn't have time to look through it all.
Beside him, Xun'er's breathing hitched when she heard his inner voice.
What had she just heard?
Hun Tiandi's thousand-year plan?!
She knew of Hun Tiandi. He was the patriarch of the Hun Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans, and, like her father, a Nine-Star Dou Sheng.
She had heard that Xiao Xuan, the former patriarch of the Xiao Clan, had died because of Hun Tiandi's plots.
Now she had also heard from Xiao Yuan that Hun Tiandi had some kind of thousand-year plan.
Xun'er's thoughts instantly grew tangled.
She wanted to ask right away what Hun Tiandi was planning, then tell her father so he could guard against it.
But in the end, she held back.
She couldn't reveal that she could hear Xiao Yuan's inner voice.
She was afraid that if she did, Xiao Yuan would grow distant from her. Even worse, she might never hear any more secrets or gossip.
There was no upside to telling him.
Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran was on the verge of losing her mind.
What did he mean, a brainless crazy woman?!
What was wrong with wanting to break off the engagement?
Was it wrong to refuse to be tied down and seek her own happiness?!
And what did he mean, bringing a pretty boy to their door?
Mo Li had insisted on coming along!
At the thought, Nalan Yanran glared viciously at the white-jade-crowned young man beside her, her eyes filled with even greater loathing.
But Mo Li completely misunderstood her look. Thinking she was nervous, he gave her a comforting smile.
Nalan Yanran ignored Mo Li and began wondering who this Hun Tiandi she had just heard about was.
What right did that man have to rush over and officiate her wedding?!
She was the dignified Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect and a daughter of the Nalan Family. Why shouldn't she be able to decide her own fate?
Little did she know, the Hun Tiandi she spoke of could kill countless Misty Cloud Sects with a casual slap.